U.S. – February 2026 California Proposition 65 – 60-Day Notices Analysis

Vol. 1533 | 15 Apr 2026

In February 2026, there were 444 60-day notices for violation of Prop 65, of which 56% of the notices (249 notices) served were for the category of Lead, 11% of notices (47 notices) were served for the presence of Phthalates, 33% of the notices (148) were for the presence of other chemicals.

U.S. – February 2026 California Proposition 65 – 60-Day Notices Analysis

The Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, commonly referred to as Proposition 65 (Prop 65), is enforced by the California Attorney General’s office or any district attorney or certain city attorneys or by any individual acting in the public interest. Prop 65 requires that an individual acting in the public interest, to enforce the Act give notice of the impending action to the person alleged to be committing the violation, along with the Attorney General, district attorneys and certain city attorneys in which the violation is alleged to have occurred. The notice must be sent to these parties no less than 60 days before commencing the action; thus, this notice is commonly referred to as the “60-day Notice of Violation”.

In February 2026, there were 444 60-day notices for violation of Prop 65, of which 56% of the notices (249 notices) served were for the category of Lead, 11% of notices (47 notices) were served for the presence of Phthalates, 33% of the notices (148) were for the presence of other chemicals.

Among the reported notices, in the category of bags and cases, there were 11 notices for the presence of Phthalates, and 1 notice for the presence of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA). Externally decorated glass and ceramics had 22 notices for the presence of Lead.

There was 1 notice issued for the presence of lead in candles and accessories. There were 7 notices issued for the presence of phthalates and 1 notice for the presence of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) in packaging.

There were 2 notices issued for the presence of Lead, and 7 notices issued for the presence of Phthalates in tools.

The beauty and personal care category had 17 notices for the presence of other chemicals such as Diethanolamine and Mercury in various products such as shaving gel, moisturizers, shower gels, serums, mascara etc.

In analyzing the number of notices issued for the presence of Hexavalent Chromium, there were 4 issued in the category of gloves, 3 notices for footwear and 1 notice for jewelry.

In the category of receipts, there were 7 notices issued for the presence of Bisphenol A (BPA) and 12 notices for the presence of Bisphenol S (BPS). Further, there was 1 notice issued for the presence of   Bisphenol S (BPS) in labels and stickers.

The category of apparel had 2 notices issued for the presence of Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), and 1 notice for the presence of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS), and 1 notice for the combined presence of Perfluorooctane Sulfonate (PFOS) and Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA).

For local and worldwide companies manufacturing and/or operating in the state of California, Intertek’s Prop 65 compliance services provide the expert support and laboratory testing qualifications needed to comply with regulations and mitigate complexities. Simply contact us.

For questions, please contact Harini Ramaswamy (harini.ramaswamy@intertek.com) and Andrew Loveland (andrew.loveland@intertek.com).

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